Medical examination tables are known to have a patient supporting surface comprising a seat section and an adjustable back section. The back section is movable between a horizontal position and an inclined position so that a patient is supported in an upright position during certain medical examination procedures.
Typically, the back and seat sections are cushioned and covered with upholstery to provide a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing support surface for the patient. To that end, medical examination tables are typically offered with upholstery of different colors and textures which are selected by the medical examination professional to match a decor of the examination area.
In the past, the seat and back sections have been assembled as an integral part of the medical examination table and were typically secured to the examination table substructure through multiple screws. This type of assembly method has required manufacturers of medical examination tables to inventory a wide range of assembled examination tables with different upholstery combinations in hopes of having the proper combination to satisfy a purchaser's particular upholstery request. This approach of securing the back and seat sections to the medical examination table increases the manufacturer's inventory costs and requires additional storage space at the manufacturing facility to store the wide variety of assembled examination tables.
Alternatively, the back and seat sections have been secured to the medical examination table through Velcro® straps or snaps provided on the back and seat sections. However, these types of fastening structures are oftentimes difficult to clean and are susceptible to damage over an extended period of use. When the Velcro® straps or snaps become damaged, the back and seat sections are not firmly secured to the medical examination table and the entire back or seat section must be removed and replaced.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fastener to removably secure a back or seat section of a medical examination table to a substructure of the examination table which overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art.